Cold front greets Lake Zurich condo plan

Several Lake Zurich residents are in an uproar over a proposal for a pair of five-story buildings, containing 110 condominiums, along the southern lakefront.

At issue is the location of the nearly five-acre site off Robertson Avenue. It is surrounded on three sides by about 35 large-lot, single-family homes. The property would have to be rezoned to allow the buildings there.

Residents say the buildings would tower over their homes and worry it would hurt the aesthetics and create too much traffic.

"It's going to drop a huge monstrosity right in the middle of these neighborhoods," said Carl Lind, who lives at 5 Ironwood Court off Robertson Ave. "There are huge, 100-year-old oak trees littered all over that property. They are just going to destroy it."

Village officials have been working with the developer for about a year on ideas for the site, formerly Nestlerest Camp. They received the concept plan two weeks ago.

Area residents got their first glimpse of the plan at a courtesy review this week.

The idea of a five-story building near the lakefront is not new for Lake Zurich.

Several developers are wooing the village to revive the five-story condo building proposed along West Main Street across from the lakefront promenade. That project died once the village fired its master developer last year.

"This kind of project can contribute to the foot traffic in downtown," said village Trustee Steve McAvoy. "That's going to be helpful. Plus, in my opinion, it's aesthetically pleasing."

The village's planning and development committee gave its nod to South Shore Real Estate Development to move the proposal forward through the village's review process.

It calls for an underground parking garage for 240 cars, a private landscaped courtyard, a fitness center, meeting rooms, a lounge and wine cellar, beach access and a dock with limited boat storage for residents' use.

Wende Dau, who lives at 75 Robertson Ave., said she was "blown away" because the proposal is beyond what's allowed by village code.

"Safety would be a huge issue for us, plus the amount of traffic it would generate," she said.

Robertson Avenue is a dead-end street, barely two lanes wide with no curbs and a sidewalk on one side. Neighborhood traffic empties onto West Main Street, where backups from the rerouted Route 22 are common, Dau said.

McAvoy said worsening traffic is inevitable.

"Change is difficult to accept, but we are a major intersection in southwest Lake County," he said. "Quaintness is gone. We are in the middle of urban sprawl and, as long as we are growing, we've got to select quality stuff. This is about as good-quality as you can get."

Dau is rallying neighbors to sign a petition opposing the rezoning and the proposed development.

The developer will meet with adjoining property owners at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Lake Zurich village board room, 70 E. Main St.